Process of and apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils



PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBGN OILS Filed Feb. 10 1921 Patented May 8, 1923.

UNITED STATES JOHN l?. PEBSCH, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS,

assrsnoa or onu-mm fro ssamm TOLLES, 0F HOHUKUS, NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS 0F AND APPARATUS FOB TBEATDIG HYDRDGABBON ODDS.

Application led February lo, 1921. Serial No. 443,953.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN P. Pansen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris County, Texas, have 1nvented a certain new and useful Improve ment in Processes of and Apparatus for Treating Hydrocarbon Oils, of which the followin is full, clear, and exact description, suc as will enable others skilled in t e art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in process of and a paratus for the treatin of hydro-carbon oi to better facilitate t en' pumping through pi e lines.

In the pumping o the heavier grades of troleum or hydro-carbon oils through pipe ines, it is sometimes found that the oils are so heavy and viscous as to make their handling in said lines extremely diliieult. In`

fact some ades of oil are so heavy that it is practicnly impossible at ordinary temperatures to pump them through the pipes.

The object of my invention is to provide an a paratus b means of which the heavier gradpes of petro eum may be made more Huid and wherein their s eoiiic gravity is made lighter so that the 011 may be caused to flow through the pipe lines without difficulty.

This object is carried out by agitating the oil in a cylindrical chamber connected with the pipe line and introducing into the oil in the process of agitation a strong blast of air under pressure so that there will be formed an emulsion of air and oil, the Baume gravity of than was the ori inal untreated oil, an fluidity of the ci? will flow through the ipe. It is believed also that, if the air which is forced into the oil is heated to a suitable temperature, the same will act upon the oil to re'ak up the' hydro-carbon molecules to a certain extent the Y -andhave the eiect of making the oil permanently more fluid so that it will not return to its original viscous state.

The apparatus, by which I contemplate carrying into eifect this process, is disclosed in the drawing wherein Fig. 1 is an assembly view more or less dia rammatic in form, illustrating partly in ongitudinal section my improved means of treating the oil. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a similar transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Like charwhioh will be much hi her will be so increased that it actors of reference are applied to like parte in the several views.

I contemplate takinr the oil directly from the well or storage t rs and conducting the same throu h an entrance plipe 4, by way of an enlarge sweclged coup 'ng 5 and an elbow 6, to an agitating chamber 7. The agitating chamber comprises a section of prpe/ of somewhat lar r diameter than that of' the pipe line an end to the elbow 6. At its farther end it is connected by means of a reducing swedged coupling 8 and a collar 9 to au outlet plpe line 10.

connected at its forward 05 Within the agiteting chamber 7 I mount 7 at regular intervals a plurality of agitating blades or vanes 11, these blades being mounted upon a longitudinal shaft l2 bearing, at its forward en in an integral bearing member 13, and at its farther end in a bearing member 14. The bearing member l I have shown as supported in a spider comprising an outer ring 15 and connecting or supporting members 16, the outer member 15 being threaded on its exterior surface for attachment to the interior face of the agitating chamber 7. The blades or vanes 11 are set at such an angle upon the shaft that the rotation of said shaft will not onl agitato the oil owing through said cham er but will act as a rpeller to force the oil forwardly from sai amberinto said pipe line 10.

The shaft 12 is caused to rotate by any well known means and I have shown a beveled gear 17 mounted on the forward end thereof closely adjacent the bearing 13. This gear is in mesh with a similar beveled gear 18 driven by a power shaft 19 from a source of ower not shown.

he air which is emulsied with the oil during its agitation may be furnished by means of a pipe 20y connected with a compressor, or some means of air under pressure, not shown. This ipe I have shown as oonnected by means o? a branching pipe 21 with a furnace represented diagrammatically at 22, said furnace having a burner 23 and a stack 24. The pipe 2l 1s extended back and forward within the furnace to give as lar an exposure of said pipe as possible to t e heat and finds an outlet from said furnace through the pipe 25. A hand valve 26 controls the passage of air through said coil 21 and a similar hand valve 27 controls the outlet from the furnace tothe pipe 25. In order that the air may be used cold if desired I nnect with the pipe 20 another pipe 28 connecting the pipe 20 with the pipe 25 outside the furnace. This pipe is furnished with a hand-operated valve 29 adjacent the pi e 21, as shown in the drawing.

he pipe 25 is connected through the side of the chamber 7 with a distributing ring 30 near the forward end of the said chamber. This rin comprises a hollow annular chamber proviled on its forward face with perforations 31 through which the air is projected forwardly in the direction of the flowing oil.

In the operation of my device the oil is allowed to dow through the pipe 4 and its connections into the agitating chamber 7. The rotation of the shaft l2 causes the blades 11 to rotate rapidly and to churn the oil up in said chamber and drive it forwardly into the pipe line. Air is forced through the pi e 25 into the discharging chamber 30 an is projected forwardly in the direction of the current of oil and is churned up by means of blades 1l and an emulsion of air and oil thus results so that when the oil leaves the chamber 'I it is filled with tiny bubbles of air and its gravity is thereby raised so that it is more uid than it was originally, and because of its tluidit it is forced through the pipe line 10 muc more easily. The emulsion of oil and air maintains this consistency for considerable periods of time before there is a tendency to separate so that oil once emulsied with air has all the properties of an oil of much higher specific gravity and is thereby in condition to be pumped through the lines for a much greater distance without further treatment.

When the air is conducted through the furnace 22 and thereby heated, the action of the air upon the oil is also thought to break up the hydro-carbon molecules so as to cause them to re-combine in different proportions so that the oil is thus caused to e permanently more fluid. The temerature of the air when thus heated can be regulated by means of the cold air through the pipe 28 in an obvious manner. The valve 29 will be at first closed and the two valves 26 and M will be opened, in which situation the air will pass entirely through the furnace1 but if the air is above the desired temperature when this is done, the valve 29 may be partially opened so as to allow some cold air to enter and thus regulate the temperature of the air as it enters the distributing ring 30. By means of this apparatus the oil may be emulsiiied with air, either heated or cold, and it is possible to heat the air to such a temperature that it will act upon the oil to permanently decrease the gravity thereof, but if desired the oil may be emulsified with cold air, in which state it will also be enabled to iow more freely through pi lines. It will thus he possible to handle t e heavy and viscous oils in pipe lines where previously such oils could not be pumped therethrough.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. An apparatus for treating heavy oils to facilitate their passage through a i e line suliiciently lon to materially impede its flow therethroug comprising a section of the pipe line, pipes connected thereto to supply gas under pressure, means to heat the supply of gas before it reaches the pipe section, means to deliver the gas into the pipe line in a subdivided condition, and means to further mix the gas and oil while in the pipe line, said last mentioned means also arranged to force the the pipe line.

2. i n apparatus for treating heavy oils to facilitate their passage through a long substantially horizontal pipe line comprising a section of the pipe line, tubes to supply1 gas to the section, means to heat the tu es, means to regulate the temperature of the supplied gas, and means to mix the gas and oil while in the pipe line and to force the mixture through the pipe line. 3. An apparatus for treating heavy oils to facilitate their passage through a pipe line comprising a section of the pipe line, tubes to supply gas to the section, means to heat part of the tube, valves and by-passages 1n the tubes whereby the tem rature of the gas supplied may be regulat means to cause the gas to enter the section in a line spray, and means to mix the gas and oil while in the pipe line and to force the mixture through the pipe line in its mixed condition.

4. An improved process for the treat ment of heavy oil to facilitate its passage through a long pipe line, the same consisting in First heating air and then forcing it in finely divided portions into the oil while the same is in the pipe line, then mechanically agitnting and emulsif-ying thev heated air and oil to reduce the viscosity of the oil and forcing the emulsified oil through the pipe line while so emulsified.

ln testimony whereof, I hereunto aiix myDsigniture this the 2nd day of February, .f l 21.

JOHN P. PERSCH mixture through 

